Suffering

I have always found suffering to be a mystery. I don't believe for one moment that the Lord is the author of suffering, but I have such a hard time understanding why there seems to be so much suffering in our personal lives and in the earth.

The only things I am sure about are these:

a) The Lord is able to take any degree of suffering and turn it to good.
b) Suffering is not God's form of punishment for sin or wrongdoing. The consequences of our sin can cause suffering, but this is not God's method of punishment.
c) The Lord will never leave us - no matter what degree of pain or trouble you are in, the Lord has not left you alone - He is there beside you.

Here are the things that Job suffered in a very short period of time:

His children sinned against God – Job 1:4-5

His oxen, donkeys and camels were stolen – Job1:14-15, 17

His servants and animals were killed – Job 1:16-17

His sons and daughters were killed – Job 1:18-19

He was covered with boils – Job 2:7

His wife grumbled at him – Job 2:9

His three friends falsely accused him of doing wrong – Job 4-37

He had a crisis of faith – Job 6, 9, 10

Yet Job fell to the ground and worshiped

Job 1: 20-22 Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and he fell to the ground and worshiped.

And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb,
And naked shall I return there.
The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away;
Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

No matter what you are walking through right now – don’t let your mouth or heart charge God foolishly – turn your sorrow into worship and open your eyes to the goodness of the Lord.

Know this: there is absolutely nothing in heaven or earth that can take you from the arms of God - His love, His care, His solution for your situation his very moment.

∫Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written:

“For Your sake we are killed all day long;
We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,

39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Look at this great list of things that cannot separate (divorce) us from the love and care of our Father. I have given you the list from the New King James version, but have included the translation from many other versions just for further clarity – so, read this list and be comforted that nothing here is able to take us from God’s love and care:

Tribulation (trouble)

Distress (hard times, problems, calamity, pain)

Persecution (hatred, suffering wrong from others)

Famine (hunger)

Nakedness (destitute, homelessness)

Peril (in danger, bullying threats)

Sword (threatened with death, backstabbing)

Death (actual death, the worst sins listed in Scripture)

Life (nothing living)

Angels (messenger of Heaven)

Principalities (demons, rulers, monarchs of earth)

Powers (of any sort)

Things present (our fears for today)

Things to come (our worries about tomorrow)

Height (no power above, thinkable)

Depth (no power in the earth below, unthinkable)

Any other created thing (nothing in all creation)

How many of these things are causing you to suffer? Run into the arms of the Lord - He has everything under control!

Those who leave everything in God’s hand

Will eventually see God’s hand in everything

See HERE for more thoughts on suffering